Every time Malik Harrison borrowed his father’s SUV, he saw another reminder of his dream. “I remember it was when Troy Smith was (at Ohio State), we went to the spring game and got a Buckeye necklace,” Harrison told Eleven Warriors May 23. “Ever since that day, that Buckeye necklace has been in the car on the rearview mirror.” Smith won the Heisman Trophy and led Ohio State to the BCS National Championship game in 2006, shattering program passing records while defeating Michigan a third straight time. Ten years later, Harrison is an Ohio State signee readying to play for Urban Meyer, a Signing Day addition to the 2016 recruiting class from nearby Walnut Ridge High School. “It’s quite an accomplishment,” Malik Harrison said on Feb. 3 when he announced his intentions to be a Buckeye during a ceremony in Walnut Ridge’s gymnasium full of his peers. “It’s very hard for a city kid to be offered by Ohio State so I’m proud of myself for being able to be a Buckeye.” Before Harrison, offensive lineman Eric Smith was the only other player from Walnut Ridge to earn an Ohio State scholarship offer. That happened in 1995. MALIK HARRISON Size: 6’4/222 Pos: ATH School: Walnut Ridge, (Columbus, Ohio) Composite Rating: ??? Composite Rank: 58 (ATH) Ohio State kept Harrison on its scholarship bubble for a while but ultimately pulled the trigger to offer the three-star athlete. Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Luke Fickell’s relationship with Harrison’s high school coach Byron…
Continue Reading: Home Grown: Malik Harrison Stays Patient, Becomes Rare Columbus City League And Walnut …
